(S/E) On leaving the pub car park turn left, passing a large interpretation board on your left with a helpful map of the area and showing the local rights of way. Walk along the pavement, past Church Lane on your left. When you reach a gate to the school, turn left and walk through a recreation ground and past the school on your right, heading towards the church. Take the path round to the left of the church, which leads to a gate in the far left hand corner. Go through this gate and the next one, that leads to a path running between two wire mesh fences. Go through the next gate and follow the path diagonally across the corner of a meadow to a metal kissing gate.
(1) Go straight and slightly to the right across the next meadow (don’t follow the more obvious path round to the left), where you will find a small stile and a gap in the fence line. (Note; you might need to take care regarding livestock in the field) Again go straight on, walking parallel to the hedgeline on your left; you will see another small wooden stile ahead. Cross the stile into a damp marshy meadow; walk straight ahead towards a metal five bar gate with an adjacent stile. Cross the stile and turn right into Nethercote Lane. The path follows the edge of a woodland and after about a quarter of a mile/400m the path goes through a tunnel beneath the motorway. Keep walking straight on, through a narrow strip of woodland where the path goes under a long natural tunnel of trees, leading to quite a busy road, the A40. Cross the A40 carefully and turn left onto the pavement, walking past the Blue Cross animal charity.
(2) Turn right at the next bridleway. You are now following the route of the lower Icknield Way keep going straight along the wide grassy path beside fields for almost a mile/about 1.4km.
(3) When you reach a junction with another bridleway, fork slightly to the right, and then right again on to a track, heading towards Aston Rowant village. The track becomes a lane, passing attractive thatched cottages on your right hand side, and then reaching the church on your left. Just past the church, turn right and follow this road round to the left and then straight on to reach the B4009.
(4) Go straight across the B4009 and through a metal gate; you are now on the route of the Aston Rowant Discovery Trail. The path opens out and crosses a large field heading towards the Chiltern escarpment. There are fine views of this densely wooded stretch of the Chilterns.
(5) When you reach the Ridgeway long distance trail, turn right and follow the wide trail, enjoying views up to the Chilterns on the left. After half a mile/800m you will reach a cottage on the right and a main road, the A40; cross with care and continue straight on along the Ridgeway. The trail skirts around the edge of Aston Rowant National Nature Reserve and then heads towards the motorway which cuts straight through the Chiltern escarpment. Walk through the tunnel under the motorway and stay on the Ridgeway until you reach a lane.
(6) Turn right and follow the lane for about half a mile/400m until you reach the B4009. This is a busy stretch of road; use the crossing point to the left. Once over the road, turn left along the pavement. After a short distance, there is a path on your right heading down some steps (which can be slippery when wet and covered in leaves) and into the village of Lewknor. Walk along the lane past a few houses and you will soon see the Old Leathern Bottle ahead of you.(S/E)
